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Now that we’ve buried the rotting corpse of autostereoscopic 3D and decided that we don’t much care for Near Field Communication (in the UK, at least), next to audition for Next Big Thing are wearable and flexible tech – the two potentially going hand in hand quite nicely.
South Korean manufacturers Samsung and LG in particular seem utterly convinced that flexible tech is the way forward (that's the spanking new LG Flex above), and we’re told that next year’s LG Flex 2 will possibly bend to form a right angle.
Both Samsung and LG are making all sorts of trade show promises about flexible tech, and have been for years.
To date, all we have to show is the Samsung Galaxy Round and LG Flex, which bend around the vertical and horizontal axes respectively. Hmm.
Word from out east (ZDNet, specifically) suggests the LG Flex 2 will land sometime in the second half of space year 2014AD, and with it the ability to bend the phone up to 90 degrees.
It’s the bendable chassis in particular that’s referenced, and if the entire LG Flex 2 does indeed intend to bend (hey, that rhymes!) up to 90 degrees, that means flexible battery, flexible display, etc.
Maybe it’s not too far-fetched, considering Samsung is reportedly planning fully foldable devices for 2015.


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17 New Shopping Centres will Open in Spain over the Next 3 Years
22 February 2019 – Expansión
Shopping centres and retail parks are still fashionable despite the boom in online commerce. In this context, Spain is going to increase its retail surface area by 650,000 m2 over the next three years with the opening of 17 new centres by 2021. In addition, eight of the existing centres are going to be expanded to 267,250m2, according to data from the Spanish Association of Shopping Centres and Retail Parks (AECC).
These openings follow those completed in 2018 when 8 centres were opened spanning 233,700 m2 in total (…).
Spain currently has a gross leasable surface area of 16 million m2, spread over 563 shopping centres and retail parks, which generate 720,000 jobs, 46% of which are direct.
This growth in space is being accompanied by rising interest from investors in these types of assets.
Last year, transactions amounting to €2.2 billion were closed, just below the record of €2.7 billion recorded in 2017 (…).
In operational terms, sales at shopping centres and retail parks rose by 2.7% last year to €45.5 billion, whilst visitor numbers increased by 3.1% to 1.97 million. Sources at AECC forecast continued sales growth, albeit at a slower rate than in previous years due to a deceleration in domestic consumption (…).
Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)
Translation: Carmel Drake

domain: news


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Voltron and THQ are teaming up to bring gamers a brand new Voltron video game. A series of games are planned, and the first one will draw from the original 80's TV show, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, for inspiration. If you need a Voltron history lesson here's the Sparknotes version; five space explores pilot giant robot lions and save the planet. When they combine their mighty lion-powers they become Voltron!
The first game's release will coincide with the launch of new TV series, "Voltron: Force," airing on Nickelodeon. Both are expected to debut this fall. Gameplay details and platforms haven't been revealed yet.


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Enterprise hits and misses - Marriott stinks, Quora is questionable, and the omni-channel is elusive
- This week: As the holiday season rolls on, retailers's omni-channel woes persist. Plus: I blow a couple gaskets rounding up advice after the Marriott and Quora breaches. Then, there is an AI article whiff to reckon with.
MyPOV: Stuart's got holiday stocking stuffers for retailers of note, starting with Lands End (Lands End on firmer ground, but omni-channel challenges remain tough as exit from Sears continues). The numbers look better, including strong Black Friday and Cyber Monday digital sales, but this Sears thing is getting awkward, as Sears stores close right and left. It's hard to serve customers across channels when one of your channels is going dodo bird.
But the Amazon partnership is a pragmatic step forward. And, Stuart didn't see the need for any "cliff's edge" snark, so that's a good sign. Meantime, Hudson's Bay has omni-channel quandries of its own (Hudson's Bay - claiming retail uniqueness, but still struggling with omni-channel 101).
Stuart isn't as impressed with BOPIS as Hudson's Bay leadership is ("Buy online, pickup in store"):
Seriously this is omni-channel retail 101 stuff.
Then there's this keeper:
The idea of gradations of uniqueness makes me cringe at the best of times.
This isn't one of those times:
While wishing Hudson’s Bay well as a retail institution, I’m troubled by the pace of change and the steep climb there is just to get to the omni-channel basics.
Not to pile on, but I could have lived without the "proud Canadian heritage" mic droppings. If there's one thing we know about modern retail, every day you have to earn it. Heritage and tradition count as much as jingle bells. And with that, we watch the holiday season to unfold.
My two two picks on diginomica this week -
- Local marketing tactics are necessary - but the data says they're not happening - We've all read the hilarious language gaffes companies make when they carpet blast local campaigns from
culturally myopic war roomsinsular playbooks. Barb assesses the latest data on what marketers are getting wrong on local - and the opportunities missed.
- Why Caterpillar wants to turn into a digital butterfly - Stuart's back for more, kicking tires on Caterpillar's intentions in the field services market.
Vendor analysis, diginomica style. Here's my three top choices from our vendor coverage:
- Nutanix launches itself at the edge...if you are ready to go along for the ride - Martin on a vendor worth watching. "Achieving Invisible Together" is not your typical rallying cry.
- AWS fully embraces hybrid cloud, ARM and custom silicon at re:Invent 2018 - Kurt's got his personal hits/misses for one of the biggest shows of the year: "AWS is taking on a multi-front battle with the biggest names in the IT equipment industry."
- Workday CEO Bhusri is keeping calm and carrying on in the 'new normal' - buried in Stuart's upbeat Workday earnings review is a concerning tidbit from Bhusri, one that will loom over us enterprise types in 2019: "There’s this hangover of uncertainty coming from the political environment ."
A few more vendor picks, without the quips:
- Salesforce packages up IoT for a better field service experience - Phil
- Plex Systems appoints new CEO Bill Berutti - here's a first look at his plans - Jon
- How Zendesk pursues frictionless collaboration with Zoom video conferencing - Jon
Jon's grab bag - The molten core at the center of Facebook's
ongoing destruction of Western Civilization woes appears to have shifted to the UK for now. Stuart's on the case: "That may be good for the world, but it’s not good for us" - Zuckerberg, Facebook and your data.
Jerry chronicles the volatile frenemies-to-enemies US political tech pretzel in US military to tech protestors - 'We’re at war; pick a side'. Hey, when
your ethics are for sale global expansion is job one, China looks pretty tempting.
Finally, if you've had your fill of buzzword-dripping tech predictions from a pu pu platter of tech gurus, you may find reprieve in the satirical aburdity of my annual collaboration with Brian Sommer, The 2019 enterprise software un-predictions, wherein hot new buzzwords like "omni-crapper" and "fiscal experience" are revealed.
Best of the restLead story - Marriott stinks, Quora sucks, and other notable lessons in cybersecurity
myPOV: I wanted to give readers sophisticated cybersecurity analysis, but I can't get past this simple thought: man, doesn't Marriott stink? And doesn't Quora suck the eggs of the hard-boiled variety? Aren't we all fed up with these wet noodle apologies?
Oh yeah, now that Congress is turning up the PR Bunsen burner, Marriott's going to spring for the costs of some new passports for a few impacted by their breach - after they file their forms in triplicate. And, who knows, maybe they'll find you a room closer to the elevator! Throw in some crackers and a cheese dip spread while you're at it. And wow, didn't we all pay for the poor judgment of logging into
the only business web site creepier than Klout Quora once a few years ago to give it a test drive, before realizing it was an influencer pajama party, then forgetting we ever signed up?
Sorry, I'm a wee bit ruffled. Let's turn it over to peeps who have a handle on their indignation. Start with Ian Murphy of The Enterprise Times, who looks at why mergers are fraught with security risk:
Part of the IT integration project should have been the security and safety of data. It is clear that there was no security audit of the Starwood systems. This is something that regulators and shareholders will want to know about.
I'll say. Meantime, thinking big picture, Dark Reading's Gus Hunt urges us to move from cybersecurity to cyber resilience. Hunt is addressing U.S. federal agencies, but we can all gain from those tips. And, a few more from Tech Republic: 7 tips for CXOs to combat cybersecurity risks in 2019 and beyond. But here's the sobering part:
The year 2018 alone saw more than 600 cybersecurity data breaches that exposed more than 22 million records.
And yet, Deloitte found only 25 percent of organizations are scenario-planning to prevent such attacks. That means: more violations and ineffectual apologies on the way in 2019. Time for vigilance, folks. And for some zero trust security, as per Louis Columbus' October call to action.
- The CFO’s role: Prioritize, transform, repeat - McKinsey's got your CFO think piece of the week. Yes, there is opportunity here for finance types - but also pressure as roles expand and digital expectations grow.
- IBM selling Lotus Notes/Domino business to HCL for $1.8B - Remember when "groupware" mattered, and Lotus Notes was the hottest thing going? On second thought, maybe it's better if you don't. Ron Miller's on the case.
- Robots rising: 5 trends driving the robotics sector in 2019 - ZDNet claims this piece has "no hype," but I smell it pretty well from here. That said, robotics ain't just hype, I'll give you that.
WhiffsIssued my first bonehead alert of December:
This piece is four years old now, but wow, these are bonkers fails:
Be glad you didn't make these horrible branding decisions. @Sales_Source https://t.co/ACbm5OpreE via @bmosherzinck, there are some real doozies on here:
"Panasonic launched a Web-ready PC with a Woody Woodpecker theme using the slogan "Touch Woody: The Internet Pecker."
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) December 7, 2018
Then there's this:
PR email subject header of the day:
"Jon: How Blockchain Will Impact Art in 2019"
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) December 5, 2018
Finally, I think we all appreciate realistic/skeptical takes on AI to counteract the marketing bombast. Instead, we get this faux realism from HBR:
Why Companies That Wait to Adopt AI May Never Catch Up https://t.co/yMJghr9gsB -> does not adequately explain why the "fast follower" approach of letting others do bruising early adoption is different in case of AI than so many other tech plays. Candy for vendor marketers though!
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) December 7, 2018
Twitter smartie @ggheorghiu points out that "Most content on 'adopt or die' topics is pure marketing...". True - but this one is particularly bile inducing. Why?
yeah, this one is special though as they acknowledge that, claim this is different, then don't support those claims. That's going to get them in the whiffs section this week
— Jon Reed (@jonerp) December 7, 2018
In the piece, the authors specifically say that AI is different than other "fast follower situations":
They are planning to be “fast followers” — a strategy that has worked with most information technologies. We think this is a bad idea.
Yet they never bother to explain the difference. What makes being a fast follower in AI so detrimental? Because it takes preparation and resources? Yeah, that really makes AI unique. If the authors had contrasted AI adoption to say, blockchain, or cloud, or serverless, or pick your buzzword, they could have perhaps made a case for why AI is different. Instead they hand out marketing candy in professorial guise.
Nor do they mention any business results these AI market leaders are achieving. "Alphabet" is cited as a company that's way ahead. Well, last time I checked, Google makes the vast majority of its money on tiny classified ads, same as always. If they are so far ahead on AI, shouldn't financial results be part of the picture? Yet on the enterprise cloud side, where AI will surely factor in, Google is getting tails kicked by Amazon and Microsoft. Oh, and the authors point out Watson as an incentive to start early - yeah, be like Watson, the epic AI financial sinkhole at IBM that has yet to lead the company forward revenue wise.
Nevermind that many companies lack data science experts and AI development skills. So, the article's message, as far as I can tell, is: get started now, this time it's different, and you'll have to look elsewhere for advice on how to do it. I'm confident the authors know a truckload about AI, that's not the issue.
Just call the piece "Why we heart AI" - and we're good.
If you find an #ensw piece that qualifies for hits and misses - in a good or bad way - let me know in the comments as Clive (almost) always does.
Most Enterprise hits and misses articles are selected from my curated @jonerpnewsfeed. 'myPOV' is borrowed with reluctant permission from the ubiquitous Ray Wang.


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All of the big names in American fashion submitted their sketches to WWD yesterday as they prepare their pitch to dress Michelle Obama on inauguration night. The big hitters, we think, were the designer's who understood Michelle's classic low-profile style.
Suzy Menkes writes on the rugged knits so popular in the Fall 08 menswear shows and makes the allusion to a declining economy and the need for comfort. She writes, "...no young banker wants to wear knitwear the color of a pink "you're laid off" slip".
Hanky Panky, the everyday undergarment chic women swear by, held a sample sale yesterday. Let's just say this is the first time Hanky Panky showed a panty line.
WWD picked up the "Anna Wintour will resign/be replaced" story and gets "unfounded" quotes at every turn. A wrap up of the rumors is pitted against the official word.


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New York is the latest state in the United States to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits from pet stores.
The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect in 2024, lets pet shops work with shelters to offer rescued or abandoned animals up for adoption.
The new legislation aims to crack down on controversial commercial breeding operations, also known as “puppy mills.” Dogs sold in pet stores are frequently sourced from puppy mills.
“This is a very big deal,” said Senator Michael Gianaris in a statement. “New York tends to be a big purchaser and profiteer of these mills, and we are trying to cut off the demand at a retail level.” He added that these businesses treat puppies “like commodities.”
The new law goes into effect in 2024, and it will affect every pet store. However, it will have no effect on private breeders.
New York is following in the footsteps of California, which passed similar legislation in 2017.
Puppy mills are being prosecuted
Puppy mills have long been a source of contention. They are breeding kennels where dogs are raised in filthy and cramped conditions.
According to PETA, these mills are mostly found in the Midwest, but they can be found throughout the United States. Some dealers also import puppies from other countries.
Puppies born in puppy mills are frequently unhealthy. They may also struggle to socialize as a result of their upbringing. As a result, many are abandoned by their “owners” soon after being purchased.
Pet stores are cruel
Many investigations have revealed that pet stores are frequently filled with cruelty. It has been demonstrated that exploiting animals for profit has a negative impact on their welfare.
A Humane Society investigation in 2019 at a Petland store in Virginia discovered that rabbits were dying and were not receiving medical care.
The two-month undercover investigation revealed that the store did not appear to have a policy requiring veterinary care for the rabbits. One employee reportedly said “we just let them die” when they get sick.
It was also discovered that the rabbits were obtained from an unlicensed rabbit mill. This mill housed approximately 200 animals in filthy and overcrowded conditions.


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Outland Farm Brewery offers Maine made beer in downtown Pittsfield
Married couple have been working for years to realize their vision.
PITTSFIELD, Maine (WABI) - Friday was International Beer Day. TV5 made their way to a new spot in Pittsfield where you can wet your whistle with a Maine made product.
“Our focus is as much Maine growing ingredients as possible,” said Mike Holland, owner of Outland Farm Brewery.
For he and his wife it all started at their Pittsfield farm.
“My history is in agriculture and landscape,” explained Heather. “He’s just an engineering background by nature. Right around when we got married, we were home brewing, farming, then we started growing hops and getting more and more interested in combining them. Beer is an agricultural product, so for us, we needed to create a space and then a product that showed that.”
“It took us almost eight or nine years between searching for a property,” said Mike. “That’s what brought us all the way to Maine. I went to brewing school. I spent a year brewing down in Connecticut at a professional brewery to get some experience. Then it’s taken us four to five years to create the space that we have now.”
That space is a tasting room in Pittsfield.
“Having a downtown location would not only be helpful to the town and the locals, we will be able to get started and get our feet wet a little bit and then slowly realize our dream of actually having a farmhouse brewery up at the farm while still providing a public gathering space here in town,” said Mike.
“We opened here 4th of July weekend for public service on the patio,” Heather explained. “When the regulations were lifted, we opened our doors. It’s been really good. The public has been amazing. Everyone is spacing out outside on the patio kind of imagining life is normal. Everybody likes it.”
They are open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a food truck on site. They offer eight beers that they rotate through their taps.
“It’s really about tying that agricultural link and the great amount of farms in the people that live and work in Maine into something you can drink and enjoy,” said Mike.
Copyright 2020 WABI. All rights reserved.


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Sprouts recalled after testing positive for Salmonella
A Wisconsin-based sprout grower is removing alfalfa sprouts and certain sprout mixes from store shelves after routine food safety tests.
The State Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection says four-ounce packages of alfalfa sprouts, spicy sprouts, crunchy sprouts and onion sprouts sold by Sunrise Farms of Neenah are being recalled. The other sprout mixes produced by Sunrise Farms are not part of the recall.
There have been no reports of illness, although the sprouts tested positive for Salmonella.
It's the second food recall announced Monday by the DATCP.
Three cocoa products packaged for Christmas sale at Big Lots and Shopko are being recalled after testing positive for melamine. The cocoa, sold under the brand name "G & J" include:
* Hot Cocoa Stuffer (bar code number 061361201444), sold in small green and blue packages along with a candy cane and marshmallows.
* His and Hers Hot Cocoa Set (bar code number 489702201296), sold with two ceramic mugs in a brown box.
* Cocoa (bar code number 061361201260), sold in two flavors -- French vanilla, sold in a small green bag, and double chocolate, sold in a small pink bag. Both have a whisk attached.
It's unknown if the contaminated cocoa products were sold in Wisconsin.
Last updated: 11:05 pm Thursday, December 13, 2012


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About tourist safety
Vendor sells tourist flowers, sticks something else in tourist's hand, later vendor demands more money, threatens, surrounds tourist, until they pay....
Sellers warned, don't menace tourists
People selling goods and services at tourist destinations should not intimidate people into buying their goods or paying extra, or they could end up in jail, a senior official of the Office of the Attorney General warned on Tuesday.
Prayuth P. Sattayarak, executive director of the Office of Criminal Litigation, said the Supreme Court recently imprisoned four vendors who ganged up to intimidate a woman who bought their garlands, to pay respect to the King Rama V Statue at Royal Plaza in Bangkok, into buying other items too.
Keng Santhanabool and three companions sold three garlands to a woman at 90 baht each, or 270 baht in total. The four men followed the woman when she went to light the candles and handed her 18 cigars. She took them and offered them to the statue. As she was about the leave, the four men demanded she pay another 360 baht for the cigars.
She at first refused, as she thought that the cigars were included in the price paid at the beginning. The four men surrounded and heckled her, so she finally decided to pay the money -- and then called the police to arrest them.
At the police station, the men offered to pay 10,000 baht compensation, but the woman declined to accept the money and took the case to court.
Mr Prayuth said the Office of the Attorney General indicted the four men for extortion of money. They were convicted and the Supreme Court finally gave them reduced prison terms of one year and four months.
He advised garland vendors at such locations to be aware of the sentencing and watch their behaviour.
Mr Prayuth said operators of services such as jet-ski or motorcycle rentals at beach resorts should also take heed, watch their behaviour and refrain from threatening or extorting their customers.
He said a lot of complaints circulated on the social media about jet-ski or motorcycle rental shops in Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Cha-am causing trouble and intimidating tourists into paying extra.
“Such behaviour is considered to be extortion, and offenders will be imprisoned without parole,” Mr Prayuth said.
Learn from listening
Click "play" to listen to Extort money out of tourists, go to jail and "Download" to keep this file for educational purpose.
Latest stories in this category:
- Thailand's dilemma
- Protests: "Final push" not yet final
- What will happen next in Thai politics? (from the editorial pages)
- Protests: Marching day, PM dissolves parliament
- Protests: “Final battle” starts tomorrow
- A big language challenge
- Chiang Khong bridge to open December 11th
- Rotating house to catch sun & wind: Made in Chiang Rai


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Radio City's Sandeep Sharma has joined Times Global Broadcasting Co. Ltd as vice president and head of ad sales.
Sharma will lead and drive the entire ad sales function and would also be a member of the senior management team of the company.
He has had a diverse range of experiences in sales, brand management, business management and communication. Sandeep has worked with Lakme, Wipro , Lowe, and Contract and was most recently with the STAR group overseeing the business of Radio City.
On the new appointment, Sunil Lulla, Times Global Broadcasting's CEO, said: "Sandeep's knowledge is in sync with our vision. With his leadership role, we are looking forward to building up a great ad sales team for the channel."
Talking about his new role, Sharma said: "I am very excited to take on this new assignment as Times and Reuters are the biggest names in news in India and worldwide, and to be involved from the startup stage promises to be an awesome experience".
The Mumbai based news channel from the Times Group is expected to be launched later this year. © 2005 agencyfaqs!


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Bitcoin exchange BitStamp is reporting yet another hacker attack. This time anonymous criminals are sending phishing e-mails.
Gulnar Hasnain talks to us about her vision of cryptocurrencies and her recent crowdfunding campaign.
A startup offering to store realtime records in the blockchain teams up with three companies pegging bitcoin to other commodities. On March 9th, 10th and 11th, Factom and three other bitcoin companies, Tether, Serica and Coinapult, issued joint statements announcing their new collaboration.
The Chinese cryptocurrency exchange BTER has received 1,000 BTC from its new partner JUA.COM, a Chinese digital currency service, and intends to refund all customers’ losses caused by a hacker attack in February.
A partnership between 3D Hubs and BitPay is creating a new link between bitcoin and 3D printing technology, giving bitcoin users access to 13,000 3D printers.
A cryptocurrency crowdfunding campaign gave Gulnar Hasnain, a Green Party candidate for the British House of Commons, more money than she was hoping to receive.
A substantial majority of the world bitcoin trade is not carried out in US dollars. 70% of deals are denominated in Chinese renminbi (unofficially known as yuan), says Bitcoinity.org.
Bitcoin Center Korea opened its doors on February 28, when the launch event gathered over 40 members of the Korean bitcoin community.
BitPay has announced the start of a referral partnership with the U.S.-based payment processor Heartland. Heartland will recommend bitcoin as a payment option for businesses and refer them to BitPay's platform.
The Bitcoin Conference Russia event will take place in Moscow on April 2, 2015. The organisers plan to prepare a document addressed to the country’s authorities in support of cryptocurrencies in Russia.
Jack Nikogosian, a 24-year old bitcoin enthusiast from Copenhagen, decided to make all his purchases in cryptocurrencies for an entire month. The task is not easy, but he gets by with a little help from his friends and Armenian mother.
Elegant, a Flemish green energy company, becomes the first in Belgium to accept bitcoin payments.
Bitcoin Suisse AG has installed the first bitcoin ATM in Basel. Several new machines are planned to appear in Switzerland within next 6 weeks.
SecondMarket Inc. did not succeed in its bid for the Silk Road bitcoins that were auctioned off last Thursday, according to Bloomberg. The government agency running the auction has confirmed the end of the auction but its winners remain unknown.
A new digital currency bill, sponsored by Utah state representative Marc Roberts, received a favourable report from the relevant committee of the State Senate. The bill would create a special council that would look at the possibility of integrating digital currency into the state’s payment system.
A recent uTorrent update is bundled with Epic Scale, a piece of Litecoin mining software. Users claim they were tricked into installing it.


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If the vertiginous rise of video-sharing and streaming platforms such as YouTube, which receives more than 6bn video views from 1bn unique users every month, has taught us anything it’s that people have a voracious appetite for video.
It should be no surprise then that more than four out of every five marketers plans to use video in their email campaigns in the future.
Why should you be using video?
The old adage goes that a picture paints a thousand words, but a video does that and more.
It is more immersive, is easier to understand, and creates a more immediate emotional impact. All of these factors undoubtedly contribute to the substantial uptake in consumer engagement witnessed by brands that integrate video into their email campaigns alongside, or in place of, text and static images.
They spend more time reading emails containing video content, and share and forward them more frequently.
Crucially video boosts conversion rates by a quarter, and consumers spend more per purchase.
All of this should make the decision to embed relevant video content in their marketing emails the archetypal ‘no brainer’ for brands, right?
Unfortunately, as with so many things, the truth is altogether more complex.
The implementation of multimedia content in email campaigns has consistently been shown to improve consumer engagement rates, but recent updates to mobile and desktop operating systems, as well as email software, combined with trends towards new video formats such as HTML5, have created a number of compatibility issues that mean user devices may not be able to properly display video content.
An audit of video compatibility and performance taken across a range of devices and mail clients found some strikingly divergent results…
- The only devices found to seamlessly play embedded videos were Macs running Apple’s native desktop mail client, PCs and Macs running the latest version of Outlook, and, among mobile handsets, HTC devices running Android 5.0.1 (and even then only in HTC’s native client, not the Gmail app that is also bundled on the handset, and only after tapping twice on a seemingly broken video pane).
- On the majority of devices and platforms tested, only a static fallback image was displayed in the email, with a link directing the user to a landing page hosting the video or to the brand website.
- Older versions of Outlook, and Gmail’s app for Android devices, also produced a fallback image, while on iOS8 devices, the Kindle Fire HD, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3, and the native email client on devices running legacy versions of Android, even this was not possible, with the video being totally non-functional.
It is not surprising that some older devices have been left behind by the relentless march of progress, but the incompatibility of embedded video with the native email client on brand new iPhones is something for marketers to take note of.
Meanwhile, web-based clients (declining in popularity as more and more consumers access email on the move) also fared poorly…
Across Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox on PCs and Macs, AOL, Gmail, and Yahoo displayed only a fallback image, while Outlook.com showed an unclickable static frame from the embedded video.
What does this mean for marketers?
At best, this means that the consumer experience of interacting with a brand becomes less intuitive and seamless.
The need to click through to a separate page or app to view video content creates friction by dragging the consumer out of the journey from email to brand website to purchase, particularly if they then have to navigate back to their email client to click through to the brand site.
Many simply will not bother, being distracted or put off by the interruption that has thrown them off course. The impact of the video will be greatly reduced.
At worst, customers may be turned off a brand if they come to expect a substandard experience when they open up an email from them.
How can marketers ensure the best possible experience for the largest possible audience?
In much the same way as they tailor the other content of their emails based on demographic segmentation and observed insights into consumer behaviour on their platforms, brands need to be aware of the devices their customers are using and factor compatibility into their campaign planning.
Of course, it may not be practical to do this on an individual level. The best solution may be to include video directly on product pages, and use these as the landing page to link to from an email, therefore creating a seamless transition to the purchase process.
Video is far from dead as a means of boosting consumer engagement in email campaigns and consumer appetite for video content shows little sign of abating.
But brands need to acknowledge the nuances of compatibility and think smarter about how they go about presenting that content to their customers if they are to continue to reap the rewards.


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The Instagram account of a Welsh holiday company booked out since Joe Swash and Stacey Solomon shared pictures of their stay there has been hacked.
The stars and their three children stayed in a "hobbit hole" glamping pod in Rhayader, Powys, to celebrate Stacey's 31st birthday, and shared images on their Instagram page.
Holiday let site Underground Houses was flooded with new followers and bookings as a result, but the owners now fear they will lose it all after hackers took over their social media page.
They are now demanding money from the company, which had gone from having 5,000 followers to more than 150,000 in just 24 hours after Stacey shared pictures of her holiday.
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All but three pictures have been deleted from their page, with the hackers changing the name of the account and demanding money before it will be returned, reports WalesOnline.
It has happened just days before First Minister Mark Drakeford is likely to announce that self-contained holiday accommodation in Wales will be able to re-open in time for the Easter holidays on Good Friday (April 2).
Gemma Williams said: "Our first guests to stay with us were Stacey Solomon and her family, she enjoyed it so much she shared it on her Instagram and we were inundated with new followers.
"This has created the main platform for our business and not only booked all of the Underground Houses out for 2021, but all of the school holidays of 2022 also.
"We have used this to set up a mini agency type business where we have secured many many bookings for not only ourselves but other owners alike. All of these bookings are driven through Instagram.
"Unfortunately our Instagram account has been hacked and taken over by somebody else, the person has deleted everything off it besides three pictures.
"They have changed the name of the account and everything else with it. The person is demanding money from us and then he will give us the account back."
She said it was frustrating that they had been trying to get hold of Instagram for advice on how to recover the account, and they are "devastated" that all their hard work building up the account had been lost.
"Stacey Solomon out of the kindness of her heart changed our lives forever, and if we can not recover our Instagram account, our little Welsh business will be all over, all because Instagram have made it so hard for account holders to get through to someone," Gemma added.
Instagram has been contacted by WalesOnline and say they are "investigating" the matter.
Have your say on this story using the comments section below.


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Ugandan soybean farmers stand a chance to cash in on the increasing global demand for the commodity only if they improve their crop varieties.
Although the country’s soybean export volumes have dropped by 25 per cent from 2,751 tonnes in 2012 to 2,056 tonnes in 2013, there is growing demand for the commodity globally.
World soy bean imports have reached $62.4 billion (Shs162.2 trillion) in 2013, indicating a 15 per cent annual trend since 2009 when it stood at $36.3 billion (Shs94.3 trillion).
China is the biggest importer of this commodity, importing soybeans worth $37.9 billion (Shs98.5 trillion) in 2013 according to global statistics.
Germany and Mexico follow the import queue at $2.09 billion (Shs5.4 trillion) and Mexico $2.06 billion, (Shs5.3 trillion) respectively.
In an interview with Prosper magazine, Uganda Export Promotions Board (UEPB) export officer, Mr Moses Mabala, shares: “China’s performance as the largest and fastest growing import market of soybean in recent years is attributed to the rapid growth of its domestic economy, which has spurred both food consumption and demand for higher protein foods.”
To meet its rising vegetable oil and animal feed demand, China must import most of its soybeans.
In terms of quantities imported, China alone imported 63.3 million tonnes of soybeans in 2013.
Mr Mabala attributes the decline in soy bean exports to poor crop varieties that are rejected on the international market.
“This has had an impact on the export volumes of Uganda at the global market. We encourage them to grow the right varieties,” Mr Mabala advises.
Latest statistics, however, indicate that USA, Turkey and Japan have also joined the biggest importers list. In June 2014, USA imported soybean worth $321.9 million (Shs836.9 billion), 178.1 million and 161.3 million respectively.
“Ugandan farmers should take advantage of such opportunities by increasing on their yields,” Mr Mabala.
Brazil is the world’s number one exporter of soybeans and Uganda is the 48th biggest exporter in the world as per 2013 statistics.
Uganda’s soybean exports stood at $1.06 million (Shs2.7 billion) in 2012, down from $886,000 (Shs2.3 billion) in 2011.
Uganda’s key export destinations were: Vietnam with export market share of 61.7 per cent, followed by Kenya (29 per cent), and Tanzania (5.3 per cent) respectively.
From Africa, Uganda is the seventh biggest exporter of this product to the world after South Africa, Ethiopia, Malawi, Togo, Zambia and Tanzania, respectively.
Soybean production steadily increased from an estimated 144,000 hectares in 2004 to 151,000 hectares in 2009 according to a report authored by SNV.
Production volumes equally improved from 158,000 metric tonnes to 181,000 metric tonnes over the same period.
This production trend was attributed to improved soybean research funding, established processing plants in northern Uganda and eastern Uganda.
Vietnam 61.7 %
Kenya 29 %


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Your digital footprint may not be quite as virtual as you think – and the environmental impact of the companies that enable your internet access isn’t limited to the metaverse. But for many, streaming hasn’t been a top-of-mind concern.
That thought process is starting to shift, as companies, consumers and standards organizations have begun to consider sustainability practices that may enable both a greener future and an innovative Web3.
The complexity of information exchange in the internet age is an easy explanation for how we separate our digital energy expenditure from other choices that affect the health and future of the planet. After all, your ISP bill doesn’t fluctuate based on usage, like your monthly heating and cooling (energy!) costs probably do.
But the fact remains that fossil fuels power the internet and the majority of devices humans use to access the World Wide Web. Unfortunately, our current understanding of the internet’s energy consumption is crude at best (and woefully inaccurate at worst).
Studying Streaming Sustainability
“[W]e need to gain a better understanding of what the internet consumes from a power perspective versus making calculated assumptions, ” Akamai Director of Corporate Sustainability and ESG Officer Mike Mattera writes for the company’s blog.
The timing is ripe for these efforts.
Mattera notes that “[t]he industry is becoming more consumed with data purity and measurement, as is happening in parallel within the sustainability and environmental sectors.
“As a result, the purveyors of the internet need to consider how to best measure consumption, what changes can be made across the internet spectrum, and what that equates to so that sustainable change can flow across the internet — while not sacrificing the performance that we have all come to expect.”
READ MORE: The Internet Architecture Board Takes on Sustainability (Akamai)
In light of these concerns, the Internet Architecture Board has planned a workshop to “specifically review the environmental impact of internet applications and systems to look at opportunities for improvement.”
The IAB explains that “[t]echnical, standards, and research communities can help ensure that we have a sufficient understanding of the environmental impact of the Internet and its applications. They can also help to design the right tools to continue to build and improve all aspects of the Internet, such as addressing new functional needs, easing of operations, improving performance and/or efficiency, or reducing environmental impacts in other ways.”
The workshop aims to: discuss direct and indirect environmental impacts of the Internet; consider measurement metrics and data; assess current functionality and potential improvements; identify relevant regulatory, business and societal structures; identify and plan for useful technical work to facilitate future sustainability efforts.
Interested in participating in the workshop? IAB encourages position paper submissions; email position paper submissions to email@example.com no later than Oct. 31. The committee will contact participants by Nov. 7.
Project GAIA is co-funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and will help enable more climate-friendly video streaming solutions by providing better energy awareness and efficiency through the end-to-end video workflow.
Project GAIA will raise awareness of (and, therefore, accountability for) the energy consumption and GHG emissions and also create efficient strategies to minimize average energy consumption from encoding and streaming to playback and analytics.
Initially, the group will focus on energy consumption data and benchmarking systems with the goal of creating publicly available datasets. These findings will then translate to efforts to “optimize encoding, streaming and playback concerning energy consumption” via iterative testing.
Bitmovin co-founder and University of Klagenfurt Institute of Information Technology (ITEC) Associate Professor Christian Timmerer notes that “[e]ach new generation of video codec reduces the amount of storage by approximately 50%, which contributes to sustainability goals.”
Additionally, Dr. Timmerer says that the prior decade of video streaming efforts, “much was solved using massive over-provisioning.” However, he believes “this is no longer the case, and people are starting to think about environmental and climate-friendly video streaming solutions in the industry.”
READ MORE: The GAIA Research Project: Creating a Climate-Friendly Video Streaming Platform (Bitmovin)
Global Video Streaming Market to Reach Three-Quarters of a Trillion Dollars by 2031
By Adrian Pennington
READ MORE: Video Streaming Market Value to Grow by Almost US$ 750 Billion in 2031 | Future Market Insights, Inc. (Digital Journal)
The global video streaming market could exceed $750 billion by 2031, according to a new report created by Future Market Insights. Demand will rise at a 25% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next eight years from a mere $61 billion in 2020.
The “Video Streaming Market” report shares that the market was worth more than $73 billion by the end of 2021, with increasing demand for mobile devices driving much of the growth.
“The rise in consumption of digital content across smart devices, cheaper mobile data plans, and proliferation in OTT services across the world will boost the demand for video streaming services exponentially in the next five to 10 years,” FMI said. “Improving access to advanced telecommunication technologies such as 3G, 4G LTE, and 5G will fuel the demand in the video streaming market across the globe.”
Live video streaming is anticipated to account for the leading share of the market during the forecast period, estimated to grow at 27% through 2031.
FMI explains: “As a result of COVID-19, the demand in the live video streaming market grew exponentially owing to factors such as increasing adoption of smartphones, high internet penetration across the globe, increasing use of AI in video streaming, and increasing viewership as consumers stayed indoors amid lockdown restrictions.”
While North America, followed by Europe, will remain the largest single market, South Asia and the Pacific will emerge as the fastest growing region over the next decade.
Indonesia is likely to surge by more than 32% CAGR by 2031, and India will top that with a 34% growth rate. Currently, the UK market accounts for the largest consumption of video streaming in Europe, and FMI says the market size is expected grow four-fold by 2031.
Streamers with a subscription-based revenue model are expected to hold almost 75% of total share in the video streaming market by 2031.
Are you interested in contributing ideas, suggestions or opinions? We’d love to hear from you. Email us here.
- Distribution and Delivery
- Industry Resources
- AVOD / SVOD / FAST
- Broadband Applications / Infrastructure / Equipment
- Broadband Connectivity (GPON, VDSL. FTTX)
- Connected TV / OTT I Hybrid / IPTV
- Connected TV / Streaming Media Devices
- Research / Data Science, Analytics, Data Visualizations
- Technology Innovation


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IVFA to pick $40 m stake in VKL Seasoning
Started in 1935, Vallabhdas Kanji Ltd. or VKL, as whole spice dealer, the company later expanded into private label and food ingredients businesses. In 2011, it decided to exit from the bulk spices and private label businesses via a sale to a global spice major and focus on the valued-added food ingredients space.
Currently, VKL manufactures food ingredients and flavouring solutions in India and the Middle-East with a strong focus on the quick service restaurants (QSR) and processed food industries.
Vishal Nevatia, managing partner, IVFA said "This deal complements well the IVFA investment philosophy of going beyond infusing needed capital by bringing in high quality talent, professional management practices and systems that can transform the business. VKL has an impressive customer base, a strong knowledge of the local palate and we strongly believe it is well positioned to benefit from a robust growth in the underlying QSR and processed foods industries."
Ajay Mariwala, managing director, VKL said, "Our goal is to enhance our product offerings substantially over the next few years in related food segments with the growth coming from a combination of organic and inorganic initiatives. This funding will help us grow our domestic capacities and expand business development efforts in the Middle East & Africa."
Haresh Chawla and Vikram Nirula, partners at IVFA will join VKL's board of directors.
Avendus Capital and DSK Legal were the advisors on the deal.
According to individual reports published by Rabo Bank and by Assocham India, the QSR segment is worth $600 million in India and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 30% until 2015, while the packaged food industry growing about 15-20% annually is likely to touch $30 billion by 2015, respectively.


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Lime’s dream of a greener and better world has many hurdles to face. Lime’s dream of having IT services that are eco-friendly is currently being held up as the electric scooters manufactured by the company are breaking apart, making Lime recall an unspecified number of its vehicles. Lime said that it’s recalling the scooters as they may break after repeated abuse.
Segway Ninebot models which are being recalled have baseboards manufactured by Chinese company Okai. Lime said that “it’s possible for Okai baseboards to crack or break if ridden off a curb at high speed.” Reports have confirmed that these models will be decommissioned. However, the exact number of scooters being recalled hasn’t been confirmed yet.
Users whose scooters broke down have taken to the social media to express their concerns. Instagram and Twitter have been abuzz with posts flooding in. However, it still remains unclear of all the broken scooter’s decks were manufactured by Okai, as the majority of Lime’s fleet are manufactured by other companies.
Lime took immediate action to address the safety concerns of the people. In fact, one of the contractors taking care of charging the vehicles addressed the issue of baseboards cracking. Quick investigations and confirmed reports have led the company to take the final decision of pulling back the scooters.
Toyota to begin selling small electric sedans in China by 2022-end
Electric vehicle maker Leapmotor launches up to $1B Hong Kong IPO
Vietnam shuts down one of its hottest Instagram spots over safety fears—again
Tencent plans to divest its $24B stake in Meituan
OLA electric to launch a new EV in India on August 15
© 2022 CIO Bulletin. All rights reserved.


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Graco Stroller Recall: Fingertip Amputation Hazard
About 1.5 million Graco strollers have been recalled after at least five children had their fingertips cut off by strollers’ hinges.
The Graco stroller recall was announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The stroller recall came after Graco Children’s Products Inc. of Atlanta, Ga., received at least five reports of child fingertip amputations and two reports of fingertip lacerations.
The strollers have a hinge on the canopy which can cut off a child’s fingertip when the canopy is being opened or closed. Only models with the specific hinge mechanism are affected, including the Graco Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Systems. All of the recalled strollers have a plastic, jointed hinge mechanism with indented canopy positioning notches.
Did You Know?
Millions of Philips CPAP Machines Recalled
Philips DreamStation, CPAP and BiPAP machines sold in recent years may pose a risk of cancer, lung damage and other injuries.Learn More
A complete list of model numbers is available in the CPSC Graco stroller recall notice. The strollers were manufactured between October 2004 and February 2008. The model number and manufacture date are located just above the wheels on the lower inside portion of the rear frame.
The strollers, made in China, were sold at AAFES, Burlington Coat Factory, Babies “R” Us, Toys “R” Us, K-Mart, Fred Meyer, Meijers, Navy Exchange, Sears, Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers nationwide from October 2004 and December 2009.
The Graco recall is similar to a Maclaren stroller recall announced in November. About one million Maclaren strollers were also pulled after Maclaren USA, Inc. received reports of at least 12 children having their fingertips amputated in the stroller’s hinges after it was being opened or closed.
The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately stop using the recalled Graco strollers and contact Graco to receive a free protective cover repair kit.
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A Camp Lejeune non-Hodgkin's lymphoma lawsuit blames the death of a woman on her exposure to contaminated water from the military base.
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GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
Nigerians are hardly amused with the current face-off between the government and bakery owners in the country. They are seeking an end to the confrontation so that bread, good and affordable, would return to their dining tables.
For days, it was absent from the streets and the supermarkets. It was not on the dining tables of the rich; neither could the common man lay hands on it.
The importance of bread to Nigerians cannot be over emphasized. For most average Nigerian families, bread remains a staple food in the face of the distressing economic situation in the country. Be it in the cities or in the villages, bread ranks top among foods that can sustain the body for hours.
This was why the absence of bread from the streets for several days was quite distressing
In what could be described as an unsavoury New Year gift to Nigerians, Members of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, (AMBCN) made good their threat to embark on a three-day warning strike to press home their demand for government intervention over the rising prices of baking ingredients. For the period that the strike lasted, every bakery in the state was closed in compliance with the order.
The association had earlier threatened to go on strike, saying they could no longer cope with the high cost of bread production occasioned by increase in the cost of flour, a major ingredient used in baking bread.
According to the President of the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, AMBCN, Prince Jacob Adejorin, who attributed the strike to the increase in the prices of other commodities used in baking, sustained increases in the cost of doing business had made most of their members to close shop.
He further explained that millers have increased the price of flour from N4, 900 to N5, 600, leaving bakers with no choice than to equally increase the price of bread.
According to him, 'It is pertinent to inform bread consumers before the price increase because bread serves as a staple food for the majority of Nigerians. Reason for the price has to do with the continual price increase in baking ingredients, hence we have no option than to increase prices of bread by adding 10 percent to the current price, if we are to remain in business.'
While lamenting the negative effect of increasing cost of baking, national president, Bayo Folarin noted that the organisation had previously engaged government on the rising costs of wheat and appealed for the removal of VAT on bread, and also for them to remove import duties on wheat. Their demands, he said, are yet to be met by the federal government.
Folarin also noted that all entreaties and consultations with flour millers in Nigeria on the need to reduce the price of floor which constitutes at least 80 percent of the raw materials for bread making were also refused.
Daily Sun's findings indicate that the price of sugar, an important commodity in the baking of bread, has increased from N7, 200 to N10, 500 while a bag of flour has been upped from N4, 900 to N5, 600. Prices of other baking ingredients have also gone up.
Though the association had promised to implement the price increase of between 10 and 20 percent by January 15, 2011, depending on prices of baking commodities, bread still sells at the old rates.
However, if the bakers are to fulfil their promise, a loaf of bread sold for N100 would soon go for N110, while that of N200 bread would sell for N220. This new price increase would be coming less than six months after a similar action was taken in the country.
In August 2010 when prices of bread were increased, it attracted wide outcry and condemnation.
Wheat shortage is being felt in the international market due to natural disasters experienced in countries where they are cultivated.
At present, two key wheat-growing areas, the Canadian West and the Russian bread basket region, have suffered serious weather situations which have impacted negatively on wheat production. South Africa is battling a lingering outbreak of fungus infection, Australia, another wheat producing country is presently being overrun by a devastating flood while China is having its own share of weather related crises.
This global decline in wheat production combined with the lingering effects of the recession and continuing weird weather patterns could soon lead to a global food crisis.
While world wheat reserves are the lowest in 25 years, economists caution that scarcer wheat will push up food prices and accelerate inflation. This scenario seems increasingly likely, especially with the present situation in the country.
Despite this glaring global predicament, bakers could be walking on a tight rope, as they are not certain about what the people's reaction could be.
Mozambique, one of the poorest countries in Africa which is heavily dependent on imported foods is yet to recover from a crises that led to ten deaths in Maputo, its capital city, after bakers in the country increased the price of bread by 20 per cent. This also brings back memories of the 2008 food riots in some African counties.
According to Samson Ogha, a nutritionist, it is sad that attempts to produce bread from cassava and sorghum have failed. He noted that earlier attempts did not meet local and regional standards.
He stressed that Nigeria, as a bread consuming country should improve on its local wheat production to cushion the effect of the global wheat decline.
An agitated bread consumer in Lagos, Olamilekan Akanni lamented that the new bread price would definitely push the commodity beyond their reach.
'I love eating bread and beans everyday. This new increase might make me change my diet because I might not be able to afford the quantity that would fill my stomach,' he said.
Expressing more fears over the likely increase, Uchendu, a bricklayer, said bread is very pocket friendly and perhaps the easiest food to get in the streets. He wondered how people like him would make ends meet with the paltry sum he earns after each day's work.
An undergraduate at the nation's premier university appealed to the authorities to look for ways to subsidize the price of bread for the masses. He averred that this might be done by subsidizing wheat importation as well as other commodities used in bread production.


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LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) - An announcement by cable giant Comcast says they will no longer run ads with firearms or weapons.
Classic Arms owner Yvonne Evanoff-Joseph got the call and says she was furious at the announcement.
"They've had no problem taking our money untill now. And this is all of the hysteria our current administration has created because of their feelings about guns and gun control," said Evanoff-Joseph.
Comcast says the gun control debate didn't trigger their decision. In a statement from Comcast they say:
"Consistent with long standing NBC policies, Comcast spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward. This policy aligns us with the guidelines in place at many media organizations."
But Evanoff-Joseph isn't buying it.
"To discriminate against us for the mental condition of this country is wrong," said Evanoff-Joseph.
Comcast made the decision earlier this month, around the time it acquired NBC Universal. They say it won't affect ads for stores like Dick's sporting goods that sell guns, as long as their ads don't include firearms or weapons.


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Recent research shows that the average data breach costs financial institutions (FIs) $210 on average per compromised account, and it costs merchants $119. But on both counts, the costs of lost customers and damaged reputations cannot be quantified – and the importance of securing consumer interaction points cannot be overstated.
That’s why companies on all sides of the transaction are going back to the basics of security. It’s easy to design an entirely digital product and to leave the security as an afterthought to be tacked on at the end. It’s even somewhat common practice, Johan Gerber, EVP of security and cyber innovation at Mastercard, told Karen Webster in a recent discussion. It’s also one that, in Mastercard’s opinion, is not compatible with a digitizing world where security has to be baked into every design from the word go.
How to fix it? Priority one, Gerber explained, has to be making cybersecurity resources and tools simpler and more accessible to everyone logging into the connected economy – particularly small businesses. Without that security, he said, it will be almost impossible to build the trust that the connected economy will need to scale and flourish.
Securing the digitizing economy, he said, really can’t be up to any single individual player. Technologies like tokenization and EMV implementation, which are used to secure the connected digital frontier, will be the work of shareholders and regulators coming together to build it out.
“We have to make sure that every interaction and every connection is secure across all systems, which means all the parties have to play in the value chain,” Gerber said. “You have to be able to trust everybody in that chain. That’s the only way it will ultimately scale.”
And cooperation between stakeholders, some of whom may be direct competitors, is a tall order. There can still be too much of a “competitive attitude” in tech culture, he noted, especially around security technology. There might be places where players will be pushed to give up their IP claim on some security technology “for the greater good of the whole industry around the globe to make it accessible.”
That’s a tough ask, noted Gerber, particularly because firms very much want to differentiate themselves, and security is an excellent place to do that. But when it comes to safety and security, building it into the system is fundamental. That’s why Mastercard is hosting its virtual Cyber & Risk Summit in mid-May, aiming to continue to bring those stakeholders to the table to discuss and debate the long-term future the company is trying to build for the digital economy.
According to Gerber, the goal is to create a “Paris Accord” in terms of how the future digital ecosystem will be secured, where all stakeholders are accountable and committed to making it happen.
“I think a lot of it comes from how we get people around the table to start having these conversations, talking about education, and designing a roadmap for how we want to get there over time,” Gerber explained. “And it involves practical conversations and training.”
One of those practical conversations centers on prioritizing security and some of the new technologies that have developed to strengthen defenses against fraud.
“For us, the goal is figuring out how to make sure security is a forethought, not an afterthought,” Gerber said. “How is it part of the design of the product versus ‘oh, we have a problem. How do we bolt on a solution?’ There has to a thought and design process that allows you to deliberately pursue security from the start.”
The challenges are large and looming, Gerber noted, but the right tools and technology can build a secure, smooth and seamless digital journey that aligns with consumers’ increased expectations for their connected experiences. And he believes that artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be a tremendous resource.
“AI allows us to do a lot of these things today – to connect the dots between these various systems in a privacy-friendly way – in a way that can span geographies and different institutions, and still be able to create a beautiful consumer experience and keep it safe,” Gerber said.
Cooperation on Tech Issues
One of the tech-centered issues Gerber wants to prioritize is the Internet of Things. For example, he wants to explore creating a consistent mechanism of security for IoT devices. Such an effort does have a precedent. When digital wallets were developed, the industry created and supported tokenization as the security standard, and the consumer has benefited from reduced digital payment fraud. EMV is another example: The cooperation involved in EMV resulted in reduced fraud, a better consumer experience and faster authorizations, he said.
The fight against fraud is also complicated by the number of intermediaries involved in a typical digital transaction. Gerber said the number of third parties in a typical engagement is “staggering.” In fact, Mastercard recently invested in a company called RiskRecon that provides cybersecurity ratings and insights that enable companies to understand and act on third-party risk management. RiskRecon recently announced that it currently monitors 4.1 million companies within its system.
“With that information, I can then say to a potential third-party partner, ‘before I pull you into this engagement, I need you to improve your cybersecurity environment.’ So we’re looking at this baseline of the third-party environment and using that to push the standard higher and higher. That’s just one way to create some transparency and make sure people connect to one another to understand what vulnerabilities are coming into play. And then we can collectively raise the bar on security.”
Selected by EFXA


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In today’s session 3D Systems Corporation (DDD) recorded an unusually high (139) contracts volume of put trades. Someone, most probably a professional was a very active buyer of the January, 2017 put, expecting serious DDD decrease. With 139 contracts traded and 14454 open interest for the Jan, 17 contract, it seems this is a quite bearish bet. The option with symbol: DDD170120P00015000 closed last at: $1.17 or 10.7% down. The stock increased 1.34% or $0.2 on November 23, hitting $15.12. About 2.06M shares traded hands. 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) has declined 18.53% since April 22, 2016 and is downtrending. It has underperformed by 23.94% the S&P500.
Analysts await 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) to report earnings on March, 13. They expect $0.04 EPS, down 75.00% or $0.12 from last year’s $0.16 per share. DDD’s profit will be $4.58 million for 94.50 P/E if the $0.04 EPS becomes a reality. After $0.09 actual EPS reported by 3D Systems Corporation for the previous quarter, Wall Street now forecasts -55.56% negative EPS growth.
3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) Ratings Coverage
Out of 14 analysts covering 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD), 3 rate it a “Buy”, 4 “Sell”, while 7 “Hold”. This means 21% are positive. 3D Systems Corporation has been the topic of 32 analyst reports since July 22, 2015 according to StockzIntelligence Inc. The firm has “Sell” rating by UBS given on Tuesday, January 26. The stock of 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) earned “Underweight” rating by Piper Jaffray on Monday, July 18. JP Morgan downgraded 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) on Tuesday, March 15 to “Underweight” rating. Citigroup downgraded the stock to “Sell” rating in Friday, April 15 report. The stock has “Hold” rating given by Canaccord Genuity on Friday, January 15. Stifel Nicolaus maintained 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) on Friday, August 7 with “Hold” rating. Longbow upgraded the shares of DDD in a report on Wednesday, July 29 to “Neutral” rating. Needham maintained 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) on Thursday, November 5 with “Buy” rating. The firm has “Overweight” rating given on Thursday, December 17 by Stephens. The company was maintained on Monday, January 25 by Jefferies.
According to Zacks Investment Research, “3D Systems Corp. is a leading provider of 3-D Modeling, Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing solutions. Its systems and materials reduce the time and cost of designing products and facilitate direct and indirect manufacturing by creating actual parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used for design communication and prototyping well as for production of functional end-use parts: Transform your products.”
Insitutional Activity: The institutional sentiment increased to 1.09 in Q2 2016. Its up 0.16, from 0.93 in 2016Q1. The ratio increased, as 24 funds sold all 3D Systems Corporation shares owned while 73 reduced positions. 15 funds bought stakes while 75 increased positions. They now own 54.83 million shares or 2.27% more from 53.61 million shares in 2016Q1.
Northern Trust last reported 0.01% of its portfolio in the stock. Cortina Asset Ltd Limited Liability Company last reported 0.07% of its portfolio in the stock. Daiwa Securities Group Incorporated Incorporated accumulated 0.01% or 73,400 shares. Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania School Empls Retrmt holds 0.01% of its portfolio in 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) for 20,487 shares. Bessemer Grp last reported 200 shares in the company. California State Teachers Retirement Systems last reported 225,032 shares in the company. Moreover, Dimensional Fund Advsr Lp has 0% invested in 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) for 201,927 shares. Great West Life Assurance Commerce Can, a Manitoba – Canada-based fund reported 9,379 shares. Ironwood Fin Ltd Liability accumulated 0% or 110 shares. Moreover, Raymond James Associates has 0.01% invested in 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) for 118,065 shares. Pitcairn last reported 30,440 shares in the company. Proshare Advsr Ltd Com has 25,540 shares for 0% of their US portfolio. Private Asset Incorporated reported 15,000 shares or 0.04% of all its holdings. Ameritas Inv Inc holds 25,192 shares or 0.02% of its portfolio. Endurance Wealth Management last reported 6,025 shares in the company.
3D Systems Corporation is a holding company. The company has a market cap of $1.73 billion. The Firm provides three-dimensional services and products, including 3D printers, print materials, parts services and digital design and manufacturing tools. It currently has negative earnings. The Company’s ecosystem supports applications from the product design shop to the factory floor to the operating room.
DDD Company Profile
3D Systems Corporation, incorporated on May 14, 1993, is a holding company. The Firm provides three-dimensional (3D) services and products, including 3D printers, print materials, parts services and digital design and manufacturing tools. The Company’s ecosystem supports applications from the product design shop to the factory floor to the operating room. The Company’s precision healthcare capabilities include simulation, Virtual Surgical Planning (VSP), and printing of medical and dental devices, as well as patient-specific surgical instruments. The Company’s clients can use 3D printing to design and manufacture parts. The Company’s clients include companies and small and midsize businesses in a range of industries, including automotive, aerospace, government, defense, technology, electronics, education, consumer goods, energy and healthcare.
More important recent 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) news were published by: Fool.com which released: “3D Systems vs. Stratasys: Which 3D Printing Company Had the Better Q3 Earnings …” on November 23, 2016, also Fool.com published article titled: “Why 3D Systems Corporation Stock Popped Today”, Nasdaq.com published: “Earnings Reaction History: 3D Systems Corporation, 66.7% Follow-Through …” on November 03, 2016. More interesting news about 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) was released by: Fool.com and their article: “2 Critical Takeaways From 3D Systems’ Q3 Earnings Call” with publication date: November 09, 2016.
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Two massive event hosts join forces for E3’s comeback show
The Entertainment Software Association is set to host E3 again, and it’s partnering with ReedPop to make it happen. Today, the two announced that E3 2023 will be organized with ReedPop’s help.
ReedPop is the company behind PAX, New York Comic-Con, EGX, and the Star Wars Celebration. It’s also the parent company of several gaming sites. including GamesIndustry.biz and Eurogamer. (Disclosure: I was previously employed by ReedPop at USgamer.)
The duo plans to host E3 2023 in the Los Angeles Convention Center again, during the second week of June 2023.
— E3 (@E3) July 7, 2022
The event will host digital showcases and in-person components too, which will be open to consumers. Further details, like confirmed exhibitors, will be shared in the coming months.
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege for ReedPop to take on the responsibility of bringing E3 back in 2023,” said ReedPop president Lance Festerman. “With the support and endorsement of the ESA, we’re going to build a world-class event to serve the global gaming industry in new and broader ways than we already do at ReedPop through our portfolio of world leading events and websites.”
A new union
This partnership is wild, but also makes sense. E3 has fully called off two shows since the outbreak of COVID-19, in 2020 and 2022. And in 2021, the ESA hosted a digital-only event. PAX dealt with some called-off shows too, but has been returning to the convention space with events like PAX East 2022 and the upcoming PAX West.
Meanwhile, Geoff Keighley has been growing Summer Game Fest more each year. This year included both a stage show and an in-person event in Los Angeles. And, as the event republicized today, Summer Game Fest will be returning in June 2023 with both digital and in-person events. Looks like E3 will have some competition for its big return.


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The new-gen Mahindra XUV500 is expected to make its debut in the country early next year, and will go on to rival the likes of the MG Hector Plus, as well as the upcoming Tata Gravitas
The Mahindra XUV500 is finally set to receive a generational update which will bring in a lot of changes to the table including a design overhaul as well as a whole lot of additional features over the current-gen model. The new-gen version of the three-row SUV is set to be to debut early next year, however, has continually been spied since the end of last year.
The most recent prototype of the next-gen XUV500 was spied earlier this week, covered in camouflage from head to toe. Mahindra has refrained from using too much skin of the 2021 XUV500, and hence, dummy units of the headlamps and turn indicators can be seen equipped on the test mule.
However, the prototype certainly revealed a lot of other information about the upcoming new-gen XUV500. Let’s take a look at what those five things are –
1. Redesigned Front Grille with Six Slats
Vertical slats in the front radiator grille has been a Mahindra thing since forever, and the same treatment was also seen on the pre-facelift version of the XUV500. The facelifted version got rid of it in order to have a cleaner look, with chrome elements embedded in the grille.
However, it looks like the six-slat grille will be back with the new-gen model, since the test mule can be seen boasting the said grille design with the Mahindra badge mounted atop, in the middle.
2. New Flatter Bonnet
While the current-gen XUV500 features aggressive styling elements all around, the new-gen model aims to one up. The car will be equipped with a flatter bonnet, which will provide the new-gen XUV500 a more muscular appeal.
3. More Spacious 3rd Row of Seats
The spied car also reveals that the new-gen model will be longer as compared to the outgoing XUV500, while the rear quarter glass also looks elongated in contrast with the latter. This means that the upcoming 2021 XUV500 will be bigger on space, especially in the third row.
4. Flush-type Door Handles
The XUV500 prototype comes equipped with retractable, or flush-type door handles which have exclusively been used by luxury automakers for high-end cars. This will make the upcoming next-gen Mahindra XUV500 the first mass-market car to be offered with this feature.
5. An Updated Cabin
While the images of the interiors of the latest prototype aren’t available, previous spy shots have revealed a lot of crucial information about the next-gen XUV500’s cabin. The previous test mules have been seen sporting new black leather bucket seats, a redesigned dashboard, a new centre console, a larger touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a flat-bottom steering wheel, new AC vents, new climate control switches, a new instrument cluster with an MID and much more.


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Ncell income grew by over 1 billion for Q2 2021 Year on Year (YoY), following a decline in the first quarter compared to 2020. Meanwhile, the private telecom company’s data consumption has also shown a remarkable improvement of over 90%.
As per Ncell’s parent company Axiata’s quarterly report, the company accumulated revenues of NRs 10 Arab, 56 crores, and 30 lakhs (Rs 10,563 million). Between the same period in 2020, Ncell had collected NRs 9 Arab, and 54 crores (Rs 9,540 million). This highlights the growth of Ncell’s revenue by 1 Arab, 2 crores, and 30 lakhs.
Following the revenue increase, the EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) grows by more than NRs 1.4 billion YoY.
Ncell Revenue Comparison
Meanwhile, the data consumption of Ncell has been pivotal for the company’s positive financial gains. The mobile data has contributed 25% to the total revenue for the private telco.
The company has also managed to increase the average revenue per unit subscriber (ARPU) from a total of Rs 190 (Q2, 2020) to Rs 211 (Q2, 2021).
The quarterly financial report also shows that Ncell’s data bandwidth has increased by an exceptional 90 percent. Ncell’s per customer data consumption reached 3,684 MB in Q2 2021. Compared to last year’s Q2 stats, this is an increase of 1,753MB. During April – June of 2020, the average customer data usage was 1931 MB. Check out all the latest Ncell data packs.
Ncell Average Data Consumption Per User
1,753 MB ↑
Ncell’s Q2 report would encourage the company as it incurred financial declines in Q1 due to the pandemic’s impact. Axiata in its quarterly report 2Q 2021 has said, Ncell was able to register “improved EBITDA margin despite revenue pressures, supported by disciplined cost management.”
How do you rate Ncell’s financial results and data usage improvement for Q2 2021? Do share with us your opinion in the comments and stay with us for more telecom news, information.


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Post restaurant 1961 online dating validating marriage
’ and we tell them it’s a gastropub in Oro Valley,” he said, as a server delivered the Schanks’ hot dogs and pretzel to their patio table.
Schank said the prices were pretty reasonable; the Sonoran hot dog was and the pretzel that came with housemade cheese sauce was .
If that's not enough for you, go wild with some Oreos, Reese's or Fruit Loops on top. It was the first concession to open in the airport’s expansive culinary makeover, part of the million “A Brighter TUS” project that started last March to improve passenger terminals.
Wrap N' Roll is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. Noble Hops, modeled after the Oro Valley restaurant of the same name and borrowing a streamlined version of its gastropub menu, is one of two concessions in the pre-security area, meaning you don’t have to have a plane ticket or go through a security checkpoint to have a pint of Tucson Barrio Blonde and the popular housemade mac ’n’ cheese.
NEW video and pictures of monkeys being sent into space by NASA at the start of the space race has emerged.
A video created by NASA in January 1961 shows Ham, a chimpanzee who was trained to operate certain levers while in a space-bound rocket, being strapped into a special bio-pack couch before being blasted into space.
As for the Thai ice cream flavors, I think it's best to go simple with something like strawberry.
The employee chopped up some pistachio nuts straight onto the freezing disk, and added them into the mix.
It's a little bit firmer than regular ice cream, but has a similar flavor with less fat. Follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/wrapnroll1011 Minutes after noon last Friday, as travelers gathered around the baggage-claim carousels at Tucson International Airport and a couple gave their tearful young grandson a final hug, Carmen and Ernie Schank were kicking back on the patio of the months-old Noble Hops brew pub not far from the American Airlines ticket counter.
Omar Elfarmaoui fell in love with Thai ice cream at a shopping mall on the island nation of Bahrain.
Employees at a mall kiosk would spread liquid cream onto a freezing flat panel, and roll it up into little pinwheels of fruity ice cream.
The only national chains heading to the airport are Dunkin’ Donuts, Bruegger’s Bagels and Built Custom Burgers — the first Arizona outpost of the California fast-casual chain.“All of these are local concepts so it’s really exciting,” said Tucson Airport Authority public information officer Jessie Butler.
The Tucson restaurant owners don’t really make any money in the deal, said Flores and Noble Hops owner Suzanne Kaiser. Jeffcoat said he and his staff are quick to let customers know the airport restaurant’s origin.“I have people ask ‘Why Noble Hops?


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The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service for the first time used the department’s existing Process Verified Program to work with an unnamed global company to develop testing and verification processes to confirm its corn and soy beans are not genetically engineered so that the company could label its products as such, Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack told employees in a May 1 letter.
“While the Process Verified Program itself is not a new program, this is the first non-GMO/GE claim verified through USDA … and other companies are already lining up to take advantage of this service,” Vilsack wrote in the letter.
He explained that AMS works with companies “to develop an auditing solution” that “assures consumers that marketing claims made by food companies have been verified by an independent third-party.”
The service is not free, and USDA does not set the standards by which companies are measured, a USDA spokesman clarified. Rather it verifies companies are meeting their own standards, although the department will help companies create those processes and standards, he said.
Products with claims verified by AMS bear the recognizable and trusted red, white and blue USDA Process Verified shield, the spokesman said, noting that this shield is used by other AMS verified claims unrelated to GMOs, such as when products are humanly raised or made without antibiotics.
According to AMS documents, most Process Verified claims currently are related to meats and agriculture products, but the spokesman said, "as long as we can verify the standard has been met from start to finish, we could verify a claim for a company on a finished product."
He added that "it is important to note that [the] Process Verified Program is a voluntary program," and "the claims associated with Process Verified Programs, like all food labeling claims, are regulated by either USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure they are truthful and not misleading."
Vilsack underscored in the letter that such certification icons on labels help businesses differentiate their products in the market place “Today’s label-conscious consumers often rely on labels to get information about their food.”
Currently no other government verification label certifies a product as only non-GMO. The USDA’s certified organic verification includes a provision that the product also is non-GMO, but is not an option for the many non-GMO products which are not organic.
As a result many companies make uncertified non-GMO claims, leaving consumers to take them at their word, said Greg Jaffe, head of Center for Science in the Public Interest's biotechnology project. He added, “To the extent this program and USDA allows consumers to understand the claims they are getting are legitimate, that is an important thing.”
In addition, he noted the “extent to which the USDA can make sure those claims also are not misleading and don’t suggest that somehow that non-GMO food is safer or better for consumers [than genetically engineered food] that would also be a positive thing.”
Officials at FDA and USDA have said multiple times that genetically engineered food is safe to eat, and seeing a certification seal from USDA could help untangle the consumer’s right to know what is in food from concerns about safety.
Private certification alternatives
Many companies also certify their products are non-GMO with help from private companies, including The Non-GMO Project, which likely is the most well recognized certifier in the space with an iconic label featuring a butterfly and checkmark.
The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit dedicated to ensuring the sustained availability of non-GMO food and products, and a resource for companies that want to make non-GMO products.
It also worked with USDA several years ago to create a certification process and non-GMO label for meat and liquid eggs. Labels for these products must be approved by USDA before use, which meant the USDA needed to verify and approve the Non-GMO Project’s certification process for these products before they could bear the label.
The Non-GMO Project Verified logo also carries an anti-genetic engineering connotation for some. The non-profit’s website includes information that questions the safety of GMOs, such as noting that more than 60 countries around the world significantly restrict or ban the production and sale of GMOs. It also points to a “growing body of evidence [that] connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights,” according to website.
While many companies that sell non-GMO products agree with these concerns, some companies that make both non-GMO and GE foods might find this off-putting and prefer a route to verification from a source, such as USDA, that does not also question the safety of GE.
USDA’s move signals capability to support national labeling
By creating a non-GMO claim verification process, USDA has added fuel to the ongoing debate about GMO labeling that includes conflicting legislation at the national and state levels.
The Coalition for Safe and Affordable Food says USDA’s “move is another important reminder of the need for bipartisan Safe & Accurate Food Labeling Act,” a key component of which is a requirement that the department establish a national GMO certification program that would apply to all food nationwide.
Staunch advocates for GMO labeling say this Act does not go far enough, because like USDA’s current GMO verification process, it does not mandate labeling and it would prohibit individual states from doing so.
Vermont, on the other hand, passed a state law mandating labeling that should go into effect next year.
Upcoming May 20 forum on going non-GMO
Companies weighing whether to use only non-GMO ingredients can learn more about the verification process and certification options at FoodNavigator-USA’s upcoming Going Non-GMO Forum May 20 at 11:30 EDT.
During the free 60 minute discussion experts, including a representative from the Non-GMO Project, will discuss the market potential for going non-GMO, the current legislative landscape and how to navigate the process of becoming non-GMO certified.
Registration is free and easy. Simply click HERE.


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Sask. businesses say rules requiring face masks make some customers, staff feel safer
Reactions have been mixed, say 2 Saskatoon business owners, including some customers who refuse to wear masks
Some Saskatoon businesses that require their customers to wear masks say while there are mixed reactions to the rules, the coverings make some of their customers and employees feel safer.
As national discussion continues over whether face coverings should be mandatory in some places, more than 1,000 physicians have signed an open letter through the "Masks4Canada" campaign, calling for mandatory face coverings in some places.
The letter, addressed to federal health officials including Chief Public Medical Health Officer Theresa Tam and Health Minister Patty Hajdu, argues that masks should be required in indoor spaces outside the home, such as schools and shops, crowds and on public transit.
Some businesses in Saskatchewan, like Saskatoon's Village Green Thrift Store, already require their customers to wear masks as a preventative measure against COVID-19.
Store manager Carol Scott said the majority of her customers have followed the rules without concerns, but a small number have refused to wear a mask.
"Some people have said … 'I'll come back later' or 'I'm not shopping here,'" said Scott.
"We've had a couple of people get really irate."
People who have refused to wear masks said they shouldn't have to because the provincial health authority has not made it mandatory in most cases, she said.
The province said Tuesday that some employees — including restaurant staff, workers at fitness facilities and workers at personal care services that cannot maintain two metres of distance — must wear a non-medical mask, but they remain optional for customers.
Saskatchewan Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab has said people should wear masks in places where they are unable to practise physical distancing, echoing the advice of his federal counterpart.
Nikki van Duyvendyk is the owner of Dutch Growers, a Saskatoon gardening, fashion and homeware business, which was able to start operating again in one of the first phases of the provincial reopening plan.
She said there have been mixed reactions to her store's policy requiring all customers to wear masks, including gratitude from customers who were happy to be able to leave their homes and visit a garden centre.
"A lot of our customers felt very happy that we had those rules in place because they felt like they could come — especially a lot of people that were immunocompromised, the elderly, that weren't able to go anywhere at that time," said van Duyvendyk.
No reduction in sales: owner
Some other customers who were not aware of the rule were shocked when they arrived, she said.
"Not knowing or not reading ahead of the rules that we had in place ... they were upset that they had to wear some sort of face covering before coming in."
She said the fact that the masks are not mandatory under provincial rules makes some people feel like they are not needed.
Van Duyvendyk said Dutch Growers did not see any reduction in sales as a result of the mask-wearing policy.
She said the policy has helped keep morale high among her employees during a difficult time.
"I think everybody feels safe, and if you feel safe, you feel happier and it gives you hope," she said.
With files from CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning
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From Wesker to Wong, here are our favourite characters that you can control in the Resident Evil series.
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Plus, the worst Resident Evil games ever.
Mar 04, 2016 -
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Feb 25, 2016 -
Resident Evils 4, 5, and 6 are coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later this year.
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Greater scrutiny is being placed on corporate supply chains than ever before.
As a result, companies are seeking to mitigate corruption, modern slavery and other such risks in their ever-growing third-party ecosystems. At the same time, they are striving for insights that will help them to optimise their efforts and prevent disruption to business operations.
In this blog post, we will outline why data, especially legal entity data, is critical to giving companies the intelligence they need to mitigate risk and create actionable insights in their supply chains.
Why supply chain risk management is rising up the agenda
Several drivers have come together to make supply chains a major focus:
- Increasing regulatory pressure
Laws have been introduced around the world that require companies to put in place programmes to mitigate risk in their supply chain – including risk posed by their suppliers’ subcontractors – and disclose this information to regulators. This includes the US Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act, the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, and California’s Transparency in Supply Chains Act. More recently, a US Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains was issued in February 2021, and Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act will come into force in 2023.
- Pandemic-related disruption
Covid-19 further exposed vulnerabilities in corporate supply chains. Disruption has been a common feature of the last two years, from empty supermarket shelves to superconductor shortages. This has damaged companies’ revenues and put many out of business. In fact, a survey by EY found that 57% of companies have reported “serious disruptions” during the pandemic.
- Expectations from consumers & other stakeholders
Consumers are increasingly using their spending power to reward companies who can demonstrate ethics and integrity in their supply chains, and punish those who cannot. As ethiXbase’s Managing Director and Co-founder Michael Short recently told us: “Alongside the development of legislative and regulatory frameworks for reporting on sustainability within global supply chains, what has really changed is the groundswell of public support whereby the average consumer will pay more for products that are ethically sourced or produced”.
Transparent legal entity data: driving supply chain intelligence
An essential first step in mitigating supply chain risk is knowing the third parties in your supply chain. But this can’t be in a vague manner, it needs to be denominated down to the actual legal entities your organisation works with – as after all, it’s legal entities that we enter into contracts with.
This information needs to be available as data: in a structured, transparent and helpful way – if you’re to be able to leverage it at scale.
Transparent legal entity data acts as a foundational layer indicating ‘who’s who?’, with internal or external datasets then being layered on top to generate insights that can help to identify risk or optimise processes.
Specific applications of legal entity data for supply chain risk management and intelligence include:
- Onboarding & risk profiling
It is vital for risk management and procurement professionals to know their third parties at the legal entity level. This knowledge allows them to conduct an initial verification of a third party, and then profile thousands of third parties according to the risk level they pose.
- Ongoing monitoring
Supply chain due diligence and risk management cannot only happen at the start of a relationship with a third party, but must be done on an ongoing basis. Legal entity data that is refreshed and updated regularly helps with effective ongoing monitoring.
- Supply chain integrity
Legal entity data is used by companies’ compliance teams to identify potential fraud and prevent losses to the business. This not only saves companies money, but it appeals to consumers who want to buy from companies that can demonstrate they sourced their products and services in an ethical way.
- Insights and optimisation
Legal entity data enables data management and analytics efforts. When combining it with payment, transaction or other sources of data, insights can be gleaned that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
The trends which have brought the world’s attention to corporate supply chains are likely to continue – and accelerate – in 2022 and beyond. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2021 that investment is “piling into supply chain technology” – but these technologies can only be effective if they leverage the right data.
Do you have the data you need to manage risk in your supply chain, and find insights and opportunities to optimise your business’ operations?
You may also be interested in…
- Case study: How OpenCorporates’ data supports supply chain management
ethiXbase automates supply chain management with OpenCorporates’ data.
- Highlights: Why transparent company data should be on your product roadmap
In our recent webinar, product leaders joined us to discuss why they and the industry are increasingly turning to transparent company data to overcome these challenges — and to accelerate product development.
Read webinar highlights >